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[GomiGirl]

It runs about double what I'd pay for a cleaning in America, so yeah, I'm not too bothered.

How so? I was paying $70~$100 for cleaning in LA. (Health insurance doesn't cover dental) with is on par with what they charge here, but then with insurance coverage we pay 2500~3500??

Only basic cleaning is covered under insurance, airflow cleaning, fluoride treatment etc are usually only private, but even so would be less than 10,000 full price.
Basic clean and polish on insurance could be as low as 1500.
But don't forget some Japan dentists try to scam you for separate visits for top and bottom cleaning, which doubles the price.

Husband once had to go back 4 times for a cleaning. They did 1/4 of the teeth each time.

[Samurai_Jerk]

For what it's worth, I went back to Dr. Entatsu. He (or his assistant, actually) does probably a better job than I can remember in the states, so I'm quite happy. It runs about double what I'd pay for a cleaning in America, so yeah, I'm not too bothered. Not having to go 4 fucking times to get all teeth cleaned is worth the dough to me.

You're talking about United Dental Office. Dr. Entatsu is excellent but it is expensive and they don't accept NHI.

Oh, and I still want to know where GomiGirl picked up "hella".

[Wibble]

It runs about double what I'd pay for a cleaning in America, so yeah, I'm not too bothered.

How so? I was paying $70~$100 for cleaning in LA. (Health insurance doesn't cover dental) with is on par with what they charge here, but then with insurance coverage we pay 2500~3500??

Only basic cleaning is covered under insurance, airflow cleaning, fluoride treatment etc are usually only private, but even so would be less than 10,000 full price.
Basic clean and polish on insurance could be as low as 1500.
But don't forget some Japan dentists try to scam you for separate visits for top and bottom cleaning, which doubles the price.

I thought fluoride treatment was only for children? Airflow cleaning??

Scams for more visits aside, comparing apples to apples, it's far cheaper here.

Japan doesn't fluorinate water, so treatment can be helpful. Airflow cleaning is like sandblasting - generally more effective that ultrasonic scaling, but much more gentle.
But yep - Japan dentistry is cheap and you can get round the multiple visits.

Husband once had to go back 4 times for a cleaning. They did 1/4 of the teeth each time.

Maybe they were just really dirty?

My wife went to a dentist that advertised that they actually wore latex gloves. Turned out to be true, just that it seemed to be the same gloves all day.

[Russell]

My wife went to a dentist that advertised that they actually wore latex gloves. Turned out to be true, just that it seemed to be the same gloves all day.

Wibble, you now got me fascinated with the world of dentistry.

If you have any more inside stories to share, I will be indebted to hear them!

[pheyton]

Dentist.jpg

I'll never forget my "experiences" with my local dentist in Kanagawa. I fondly remember thinking "wtf, who ever said j-girls were flat must have been living in Nagoya".

[Coligny]

Toyohashi is quite miserable too, bewbwyse...

But we got a zoo to compensate... And the elephant got a baby... Last year...

Kept Toyocky busy and up all night for few weeks...

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[gaijinpunch]

It runs about double what I'd pay for a cleaning in America, so yeah, I'm not too bothered.

How so? I was paying $70~$100 for cleaning in LA. (Health insurance doesn't cover dental) with is on par with what they charge here, but then with insurance coverage we pay 2500~3500??

$90 in America.
18,000 yen at the aforementioned.
At ~100 yen / $1, $90 * 100 = 9000 * 2 = 18,000.

You're talking about United Dental Office. Dr. Entatsu is excellent but it is expensive and they don't accept NHI.

Yes, that's it. He really is top notch, and didn't guilt me when I obviously let my teeth go way too long. If you don't mind paying more for quality, this is your place, definitely. Honestly, most of the US-educated dentists charge about the same from what I've heard, and none take NHI.

[GomiGirl]

Oh, and I still want to know where GomiGirl picked up "hella".

??? I am too old and daggy to use hipster-speak....

[matsuki]

It runs about double what I'd pay for a cleaning in America, so yeah, I'm not too bothered.

How so? I was paying $70~$100 for cleaning in LA. (Health insurance doesn't cover dental) with is on par with what they charge here, but then with insurance coverage we pay 2500~3500??

$90 in America.
18,000 yen at the aforementioned.
At ~100 yen / $1, $90 * 100 = 9000 * 2 = 18,000.

You're talking about United Dental Office. Dr. Entatsu is excellent but it is expensive and they don't accept NHI.

Yes, that's it. He really is top notch, and didn't guilt me when I obviously let my teeth go way too long. If you don't mind paying more for quality, this is your place, definitely. Honestly, most of the US-educated dentists charge about the same from what I've heard, and none take NHI.

While I understand the price explanation, I don't understand what the point is going to a place that doesn't accept NHI....for cleaning. Something else, maybe...but cleaning is usually done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves so...

[Samurai_Jerk]

While I understand the price explanation, I don't understand what the point is going to a place that doesn't accept NHI....for cleaning. Something else, maybe...but cleaning is usually done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves so...

Because they do a much better job than the average Japanese dentist.

[matsuki]

While I understand the price explanation, I don't understand what the point is going to a place that doesn't accept NHI....for cleaning. Something else, maybe...but cleaning is usually done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves so...

Because they do a much better job than the average Japanese dentist.

Like I said though, the work is done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves...

[Samurai_Jerk]

While I understand the price explanation, I don't understand what the point is going to a place that doesn't accept NHI....for cleaning. Something else, maybe...but cleaning is usually done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves so...

Because they do a much better job than the average Japanese dentist.

Like I said though, the work is done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves...

By dentist I meant the dental clinic not the actual doctor.

Trust me. I've had my teeth cleaned at several places in Japan including that polished turd of a clinic in Tokyo Midtown and United is the only one that did a good job. Like an Armani suit, a Rolex watch, or a 30 year old single malt scotch, United is worth paying extra for if you can afford it.

[gaijinpunch]

While I understand the price explanation, I don't understand what the point is going to a place that doesn't accept NHI....for cleaning. Something else, maybe...but cleaning is usually done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves so...

Because they do a much better job than the average Japanese dentist.

Like I said though, the work is done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves...

The dental assistants are trained by the dentists whom are much better than on the J-side, thus, making them better assistants than assistants at a normal Japanese dentist. I don't even know of a dentist that will clean all of your teeth in one shot.

[matsuki]

gotcha...I've used the same one for years until recently when they pulled the "oh darn, out of time, you'll have to come back again to finish the cleaning"

[Wibble]

While I understand the price explanation, I don't understand what the point is going to a place that doesn't accept NHI....for cleaning. Something else, maybe...but cleaning is usually done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves so...

Because they do a much better job than the average Japanese dentist.

Like I said though, the work is done by a dental assistant, not the dentist themselves...

The dental assistants are trained by the dentists whom are much better than on the J-side, thus, making them better assistants than assistants at a normal Japanese dentist. I don't even know of a dentist that will clean all of your teeth in one shot.

Yep, you're likely to get better treatment, single visit, more modern methods, disposable tool heads etc paying privately for cleaning/dentistry rather than on NHI, especially when practice is headed by foreign-trained dentist.
Even so, 18,000 for cleaning is a bit overpriced for cleaning in Tokyo.

[Taro Toporific]

I just ran across this indictment of Japanese dentistry by Dr. Mikako Hayashi, a professor of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology in the Graduate School of Dentistry at Osaka University.

Dentistry -- from Cinderella to Belle of healthcare ball
Kyodo News -- 8 September 2013
...Japan's health scheme rewards drilling and filling of teeth, which is the dental highway to hell of tooth loss, and does not reward either dentists or patients who try to safeguard their teeth... it is also no help that the dental education system means that most students graduate without adequate clinical training or skills. In other countries dental students treat actual patients at least from their third year or training.
More...

[Russell]

Just back from the dentist, whom I asked to put a crown back on that came off yesterday.

Long story short, he wanted to give me a treatment of 4 to 5 times just to get a new crown. He may have been right that I have a cavity below the crown, but a couple of months treatment just for replacing a crown?

Anyway, I told him that I didn't have time to come back so many times, so to please put it back on for the time being so that I can find a faster dentist. (which is the dentist I used to go before I moved)

I also told him that in Holland we need much fewer times to come back for treatment, which seemed to piss him off, and he loudly voiced his doubt whether I could find such a dentist in Japan.

Anyway, I didn't like the guy, but he made some money off me for the big X-ray he deemed necessary.

[matsuki]

Just back from the dentist, whom I asked to put a crown back on that came off yesterday.

Long story short, he wanted to give me a treatment of 4 to 5 times just to get a new crown. He may have been right that I have a cavity below the crown, but a couple of months treatment just for replacing a crown?

Anyway, I told him that I didn't have time to come back so many times, so to please put it back on for the time being so that I can find a faster dentist. (which is the dentist I used to go before I moved)

I also told him that in Holland we need much fewer times to come back for treatment, which seemed to piss him off, and he loudly voiced his doubt whether I could find such a dentist in Japan.

Anyway, I didn't like the guy, but he made some money off me for the big X-ray he deemed necessary.

Japanese dentistry...scandalous? Who could have ever guessed.....Japan had dentists?

[Wibble]

Just back from the dentist, whom I asked to put a crown back on that came off yesterday.

Long story short, he wanted to give me a treatment of 4 to 5 times just to get a new crown. He may have been right that I have a cavity below the crown, but a couple of months treatment just for replacing a crown?

Anyway, I told him that I didn't have time to come back so many times, so to please put it back on for the time being so that I can find a faster dentist. (which is the dentist I used to go before I moved)

I also told him that in Holland we need much fewer times to come back for treatment, which seemed to piss him off, and he loudly voiced his doubt whether I could find such a dentist in Japan.

Anyway, I didn't like the guy, but he made some money off me for the big X-ray he deemed necessary.

These crazy multiple visits again. Unless there is a massive inflammation, a root canal should be fine in a single visit or 2. But I've heard similar of people going weekly for several months with various temporary crowns for the complete root treatment in Japan.

For you, if it's just the bonding wearing out, then reattaching is probably all you need. Maybe there is a cavity, but if it isn't bothering you, you might be best not pissing around with it. If the original root treatment wasn't effective, leading to the cavity, possibly an apicoectomy would make more sense than another attempt at the root canal via the tooth. But if I needed that, I wouldn't be heading to a street Japanese dentist, I'd be thinking about a trip to Thailand or Singapore for a bit of dental tourism or waiting until I could get it done in the old country.

I'm not a dentist and this is not medical advice so you should treat my opinion with the contempt a random idiot on the internet deserves

[Russell]

After my bad experience with the dentist in my neighborhood half a year ago (see a few posts above), I finally had time to visit another dentist today to take a look at the crown that was put back temporarily. I selected a new dentist recommended to me by my wife, instead of going all the way to my old dentist in the previous city I lived.

He asked questions about the level of pain and uncomfortable feeling I had in the tooth and took an X-ray. To my surprise, he recommended no treatment, because the tooth and its root looked good. When I asked him whether it would make sense to take the crown off to take a look under it, he said that this risked damaging the tooth, and that would necessitate a new crown, so he declined to do that. As long as I did not have pain and could use the tooth comfortably, he deemed it unnecessary to take it off.

Finally a dentist who is not out there to squeeze money out of people!

Encouraged, I asked him to take a look at my bridge in another part of my mouth, that had been there for over 30 years, but that felt a bit rough and sharp recently. He told me that the ceramic had come off at one location, but that the metal base was still good, so if I did not feel uncomfortable with it when eating, I could continue using it.

I am still surprised by it, just a single visit!

[matsuki]

Care to share who/where this honest dentist is located? I'm done with the one near me after they tried to pull the two session cleaning bullshit. Fuck them

[Russell]

Care to share who/where this honest dentist is located? I'm done with the one near me after they tried to pull the two session cleaning bullshit. Fuck them

It's in Hyogo prefecture.

If you want more precise directions I can PM you (though I suspect it is too far for you).

[wuchan]

It took seven years but I finally found a good dentist, believe it or not, in my own town. From what I have seen there are two types of dentsts in Japan. Type one is the "old school" guy that is over 50 and hasn't ever taken any retraining. They are fucking arrogant and know how to rape the system by making the patients come back as many times as he can. He, these types are always men, will use the "I know more than you because I have a paper on the wall" excuse to shut you up when you ask questions he doesn't like. They usually only see maybe 25 patients a day which is why they need to scam the system. Type two is much younger, likely under 45. They are trained in modern methods and treatments. Many are women. The care is on par with the west and they tell you everything. These types see over 100 patients a day because they get a good reputation in the local community and have no need to rape the system. Probelem is once you get outside Tokoyo there aren't many of these dentists.

The first visit they cleaned and polished my teeth in under 20 minutes. When they were done they asked if I would like them whitened for an additional 1man. I said yes, got the fancy lazer thing to whiten my teeth and walked out less than an hour after I walked in. Nice people. I was totally amazed.

[matsuki]

The clinic near seemed like the latter but the last visit they spent more time photographing my teeth than cleaning. (they keep photographic records on some sort of custom software) Nice and all, their equipment is all very modern....yet they still pulled the "oh, we're out of time" bullshit.

[IparryU]

Best place I have been to ask fast was in hiroo right by the hospital.

All the staff are young including the main dentist.

I had to do return trips cause i got my aisle teeth pulled... But i think that is normal.

Sent from my SC-03E using Tapatalk

[matsuki]

Best place I have been to ask fast was in hiroo right by the hospital.

All the staff are young including the main dentist.

I had to do return trips cause i got my aisle teeth pulled... But i think that is normal.

Sent from my SC-03E using Tapatalk

Aisle teeth = wisdom teeth??

I got all 4 of mine pulled at once and was done with it in one shot.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Best place I have been to ask fast was in hiroo right by the hospital.

All the staff are young including the main dentist.

I had to do return trips cause i got my aisle teeth pulled... But i think that is normal.

Sent from my SC-03E using Tapatalk

Aisle teeth = wisdom teeth??

I got all 4 of mine pulled at once and was done with it in one shot.

Me too but not in Japan.

[matsuki]

Mine were done in the US...when I was 20...the lemur at the time laughed and literally said "We Japanese don't do that!" Joke was on her a few years later...in Japan...one at a time hahahahaha

[Coligny]

Mine were done in the US...when I was 20...the lemur at the time laughed and literally said "We Japanese don't do that!" Joke was on her a few years later...in Japan...one at a time hahahahaha

I still got this irritating line from time to time at home...

But now I can strike back:

We French, don't do dat'

smoke-rises-from-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-complex-pic-reuters-353971471.jpg

[Russell]

70% of dentists leave drills inadequately sterilized

Up to 70 percent of dental clinics use instruments for drilling teeth that are improperly sterilized, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by a team comprising researchers from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and other entities, called on clinics to change drilling instruments after using them to treat patients as it could otherwise place other patients at risk of viral or bacterial infection.

The survey focused on the sterility of drill handles, which do not make direct contact with the teeth, but can easily become covered in saliva and blood when placed in a patient’s mouth during treatment.

According to Japanese Association for Dental Science guidelines, standard measures against hospital infection stipulate that a used medical instrument must be replaced with one that has been sterilized at high temperatures before a new patient is treated.

The survey covered 3,152 dental clinics in targeted prefectures, with responses received from 891 institutions, or 28 percent, as of January 2014.

When asked whether used drills are replaced with sterilized ones, 34 percent responded that the instrument is changed for each patient, while 17 percent said the drill is not changed, 14 percent said it is sometimes changed and 35 percent said it is changed if the previous patient had an infection. The result shows that a total of 66 percent of clinics do not change their drilling instruments properly, a departure from the association’s guidelines.

The research team conducted the same investigation in other prefectures four times between 2007 and 2013. Those results showed that on average 71 percent of clinics used the same instrument repeatedly without proper sterilization.

According to research team member Hidenobu Senbuku of the NIID, it is likely that many dentists use the same instrument repeatedly after only a simple sterilization or cleaning due to the manpower and costs required to change it for each patient.

More

Anyone know how the situation is in the western world?